Subaqueous rock-breaker.



No. 557,515.' l. 5 H. coFrEv. SUBAGUEOUS ROCK BREAKER.

(A ppucmonmea my 2o, :899. nenewea reu. e, 1906.)

Patented Sept. M |900.

' 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

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No. 657,5l5. Patented sept. n, 1900. B. H. corrgv. SUBAGUEOUS BUCK BREAKEB. (Applicaltion led May 20, 1899. Renewed Feb. 8, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2,

'me Model.)

Invent-0k' No. 657,5I5.. Patented Sept. vIl, |900.

B. H. ..COFFEY.

SUBGUEOUS ROCK BREAKER.

(Application tiled may 20,'1899. Renewed Feb. 6, 1900.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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e UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE; y*

BARTON' H. COFFEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SUBAQUEOUS RoCK-BREAKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,515, dated September I ILLQQQLM- Application filed May 20, 1.899. Renewed February 6, 1900. Serial No. 4,283. (No modeLl T all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, BARTON H. COFFEY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Subaqueous Rock-Breakers, of which the following is a true and exact description, reference Apparatus of this kindhas been used with great success; but it has been found that a condition ofsuccessful Iuse is the depth of water through which the chisel falls, the friction and resistance of the water rapidly impairing the efficiency of the apparatus as the depth increases.

The object of my invention is to provide a rock-breaker which canbe used in deep, as well as shallow water, andthe leading feature of my invention consists in the provision of a tubular caisson closed at top and 'open at the bottom, means for forcing compressed air into the caisson to keep it substantially free from water, and rock-breaking chisel together with mechanism for operating it working in the caisson. By this arrangement it will be readily understood I completely avoid all material resistance to the fall of the weighted chisel, and thus insure its striking the rock at the bottom of the caisson with maximum force and eiiciency.

Other features of my invention will be best understood as described in connection with the drawings, in which they are illustrated, and in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a iioat such as is commonly used in dredging, showing my approved apparatus in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a front view of the floatand attachments; Fig. 3, a plan view thereof; Fig. 4, a longitudinal sectional elevation of the caisson and parts connected therewith; Fig. 5, an

elevation taken at right angles to that shown in Fig. 4, showing the upper part of the caisson, portions of the derrick, and the clamp bywhich the caisson is attached to the iioat. FigfG is a plan view taken on the horizontal section 6 6 of Fig. 5, and Fig. '7 is a sectional elevation of the top of a caisson, showing certain modifications in the construction of the chiselcarrying weight and mechanism for Aacting upon the Weight. A, Figs.,l and 2, indicates the rock to be broken.

B is the water-level.

C is the float, which, as shown, is formed at its stern with two openings C O', through vwhich pass spuds C19, used for anchoring the float in place. C2 indicates another vertical passage through the bow of the boat provided for the passage of my tubular caisson.

At C3 is indicated the tire-box, boiler, and stack.

C4 C4 indicate steam engines which, as shown, are horizontal.

C5 indicates a vertical 4steam-engine, and

C6 an air-compressor.

C7 is a shaft acted on by the engines C4 C4 and having attached toit a gear-wheel C8, engaged with a gear-wheel C9, attached in turn to a shaft C10. I have indicated at C11 a pulley on the shaft C10, connected by means of a chain or belt (indicated at cu) with a pul- :ley C12, attached to a shaft C13, to which shaft are attached drums C14 and C15,actin g through chains G14 C15 on the spudsA C18 C19, either of which can be drawn up at will. C16 and C17 `are also drums attached to` the'shaft C1B and connected by ropes or chains c16 and 017, passing over pulleys C29 and C21, with anchors C22 and C23. It will be understood, of course, that the drums are all detachably connected with the shafts, so that any one or more of them can be thrown into gear at will with the purpose of raising either of the spuds or of swinging the boatfrom side to side.

C24 is a hoisting-drum journaled on the shaft C10 and connected to be driven by said shaft at will, as by means of aclutch, (indicated at C24.) V

D D, d d D', and D2 d2 indicate parts of a derrick erected on the boat, the Vertical members D D extending up on each side of the stay D2 and being, as shown, provided with guides D3 D3.

E is apulley secured at the top of the der- IOO " end I of 'which is open, while the upper eii'd rick, and F, Ffsegmental guide-clamps secured tothe deck ofthe 'float on opposite sides of 'the `opening O2. v

G is asplit clamp-ring, the outer edge of which ts under the circular guide-clamps F F,while the inner face of the ringisrada'ptv ed to'clamp the caisson, to be hereinafter described. As shown, the split end of the ring is made with the expanding anges Gr' G', E

1o whichl are drawn together, as by means of a lbolt G2.

shafts H3 H3, actuated b'y the steam-engine cylinders indicated at C5.

By means of this device the clamp can be turned from side to' -side or held in any desired position.

I indicates the tubular caisson, the lower I2 is tightly closed, having, as shown, at its center a stuffing-box I3 forv the actuating-rod 1 f to pass through.

The'caisson is formed with l 2 5 guides (indicated at l4 I4) on opposite sides and is preferably provided at its upper end l with a ring I5, arranged to turn yfreely on the 1 gcaisson, but to `move longitudinally with it. As shownin Fig. 7, the caisson is also prodevice, (indicated at I6;) but this is a particui lar detail of the modification illustrated in y said figure-and hereinafter described.

` r. "J' is the weightvertically movable yin the v35 caisson and constructed at its lower'end so,

as to engage a `heavy rock-breaking chisel. l This may be conveniently done, as shown, .by

providing Athe weight J and keyway J2.

The 'weight moves freely on the guides I4 and 4o is 'so shaped as toleave abundant room Aon ,y

f each side, as indicated in Fig. 6,y so that the a'ir in the caisson will offer no substantialr'esis'tance to its free movement. .As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the -weightJ is attachedto the lower end of a rod K, passing upward through the stuffing-box I3 `at the top of the caissonand connected at itsupper end with the cross` head K2, moving in the guideways vD3 D3 of the de rrick and to which in turn is connected l 5o a rope K', passing over the pulley-wheel'E and winding on the drum C24.

As shown in i Fig. "7, therod K is connected to a cross-head l N, situated in the caisson above the weight J l and like it moving in the guideways I4. To this cross-head, which should be of consider.- able weight, is attached a catch or latching device, which when the cross-head moves g down against the weight automatically len-` gages the weight and which when theV cross-f 6o head and weight are drawn up to the top vof the 'caissonis automatically disengaged. A

convenient construction is that shown in Fig.

7, in which two lever-arms N2 N2 are pivoted to the vcross-head N, as indicated atN. N',

ers N4at their upper ends, a spring', as N5, normally drawing the hooked ends apart.

` and formed with hooked ends, as N3, and rolll For this 'special construction of catch I form a 'recess J8 in the top 'of the weight J, with lugs J4 J4 projecting over its edge. The upper faces J5 J5 of the lugs being inclined, it will be obvious that when the cross-headN moves down the hookedv ends N3 of the levers will venga,.,'e the lugs J4,so that when the cross-head is moved up the weight will be drawn upward with it Iuntil the rollers N4 at the tops of the levers come `in contact with the wedge I6, whereupon the upper ends of the levers will l forced apartand the hooked Aends forced together, releasi-n g. the weight and permit-tin g it to fall. 'Ihis construction -has certain advantages in that the fall of the weighted Achisel is not opposed by the frictional resistance-offered to the downward motion of the redli.Vv v t L indicates the chisel, secured in the socket J'l ofthe weight by the key L'.

`For certain purposes' it is desirable to at 'times connect the Weigh't'Jwith the caisson, so that, for instance, the weight will be drawn up vwith the caisson or the caisson forced Vdown by means of the Weight. A convenient device .for doing 'this consists of the rods M M,pivoted 'at-M fM onto the ring lskand form ed with hooks at their free en ds', as indicated at l f The rods or bars M are, as shown, con'- l 3o vided with a. wedge-like inwardly-projecting g vnectjed together by `rods m, and normally vthey lie in the position indicated in Fig. 4, being prevent-ed from moving' farther outward by a frame, such 'as m,- When it is desifredv t'o couple. the vweight' and caisson together, 'the bars M are moved in, 'so that the'irgho'oke'd vends engage 'the cross-head K2, and they aresecured in this location by a llatch M3, said latch being pivoted on one rod m and adapted to engagewiththe other rod, m. The operation of my device is readily, followed. lThecaiss'o'n is lowered into the position 'at' the point where the work is to be done, the weight J ibeing coupled tothe caissontouassist in lowering it, if desired, in the way above described. i When lbrought to properposition,the clamp Gis tightened, so aste holdthe 'caisson against a tendency to rise, while giving it .room to'turn inthe well or passage C2. g Compressed airis then forced in from the compressor C6 through the pipes C)2 and O, the latter pipe being flexible and passingover a pulley O secured, as shown,

Von the cross-bars dzof the derrick. The

hooked bars M M are released from the crosshe'adK2 and-the actuating mechanism then vset to work to raise the weight J and the chisel attached toit and let itv fall in the caisson. Y A simple and convenient device for doing this jis the drumzwhich is coupled to the shaft 'Cf0 when the weight is to be raised and uncoupled when it is desired to drop the weight, or when the modiiic'ati'on shown in Fig. f7'is used u'ncou'ple'd and lafter theweight is drawn 'up 'and automaticallyreleased, so thatthecross-head N wiil follow the weight down and reen'gage it. The angle 'of the caisson and of the chisel L is adjusted from ICO time to time by the engine Cacting through the connections described on the arm G6 of the clamps.

Havingnow described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- Y l. i A subaqueous rock-breaker consisting of a tubular caisson closed at top and open at bottom, in combination with a heavily-weighted chisel vertically movable in the tubular caisson, means for elevating the chisel in and dropping it through the caisson and means for forcing compressed air into the caisson to maintain it substantially free from water.

2. A sub-aqueous rock-breaker consisting of a tubular caisson closed at top and open at bottoni and provided with longitudinal guides, as-I, in combination with a weight as J, movable on the guides in the caisson and adapted to hold a rock-breaking chisel in its lower end, means for elevating the weight in and dropping it through the caisson and means for forcing compressed air into the caisson to maintain it substantially free from water.

3. A subaqueons rock-breaker having in' combination a tubular caisson closed at top and open at bottom, a weight adapted to hold a chisel longitudinally movable in said caisson, means for raising and dropping said weight and means for connecting the weight and caisson together at will.

4. A subaqueous rock-breaker having in combination a staging having an opening therethrough, a tubular caisson closed at top and open at bottom passing through opening, a weight adapted to hold a chisel longitudinallymovable in said caisson, means for raising and dropping said weight and aclamp adapted to secure the caisson to the staging arranged as described to have a capacity to rotate with the caisson.

5. A framing or derrick, as D D', having guides, as D3 in combination with a tubular caisson arranged to extend down into Water beneath said derrick, a weight vertically movable in the caissonV- and adapted to holda rock-breaking chisel, a rod, as K, extending through a stuiiing-box in the top of the caisson and adapt-ed to connect with the weight aforesaid to raise it, a cross-head, as K2, moving in the guides DS and connected to the top of rod K, a cord connected to said crosshead and leading over a pulley on the derrick to a hoisting-drum and means, as hook-arms M M, for connecting the top of the caisson to the cross-head K2.

A framing or derrick, as D D', having guides, as D3, in combination with a tubular caisson arranged to extend down into water beneath said derrick, a weight vertically movable in the caisson and adapted to hold a rock-breaking chisel, a rod, as K, extending through a s'tufng-box in the top of the caisson and adapted to connect with the weight aforesaid to raise it, across-head, as K2, moving in the guides D3 and connected to the top of `rod K, a cord connected to said cross-head and leading over a pulley on the derrick toa hoisting-drum, means, as hook-arms M M, for connecting the top of the caisson to the crosshead K2 and means, as clamp G, for holding the caisson in depressed position.

7. In a subaqueous rock-breaker, atubular caisson closed at top and open at bottom in combination with a weight adapted to hold a chisel and longitudinally movable in said caisson, said weight having a catch-engaging device at its top, a catch situatedin the caisson above the weight and also longitudinally movable therein, said catch being adapted to engage and hold the weight when forced against its top, means for moving the catch in the caisson and a catch-disengaging device situated at the top of the caisson and whereby the catch is made to disengage the weight when drawn upward to the disengaging device.

BARTON H. COFFEY.

Witnesses:

CEAS. F. MYERS, D. STEWART. 

